Description: A hyper-enriched black shales (HEBS) deposit has been discovered in Western Australia (The Brumby Deposit, Bellavista Resources) [SM1] that is comparable to globally significant deposits, such as Terrafame Mine in Finland. Conventional extraction is not possible/economically viable. Bioleaching has successfully been applied at similar types of deposits (e.g. Nickel and zinc recoveries are over 95% at Terrafame Mine through bioleaching).
This CSIRO Industry PhD Project will explore the technical and economic feasibility of bioleaching hyper-enriched black shales from basins. The expected outcome is increased understanding on the feasibility of biomining the black shales to extract the critical and base metals in the basin. This could benefit Australia’s critical and base metal resource security. Along with CCRF Researchers, Chief Investigators and Partner Investigators captured below, this project is also supported by Ka Yu Cheng (CSIRO) and Caitlin Byrt (ANU).
Benefits: The research will contribute to developing sustainable mining technologies for extracting valuable metals from black shales. This will enhance Australia’s critical and base metal resource security and support the growth of the biomining sector, aligning with national goals for sustainable resource management and technological innovation.
